Large mouth nipple construction



April 9, 1940. J. LITTLE LARGE' MOUTH NIPPLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 30. 1936 Patented Apr. 9, 1940 PATENT OFFICE LARGE MOUTH NIPPLE CONSTRUCTION .lele little, Warwick, R. I., nlsignor to Davol Rubber Company, Providence, B.. I., a corporation of Rhode Island applicants september so, 193e, serai No. roam 4 claim. (ci. 12s-252) My present invention relatesv to the manufacture of rubber articles, and has particular reference to a nipple construction suitable for large mouth bottles.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a construction that will permit suitable pressing of the nipple parts but will exert continuously increasing force tending to keep the nipple open as the nipple parts approach each other in use, thus preventing collapsing. A

It is an additional object of my invention to provide a large mouth nipple which has a short, rather than a long tip, and is designed so as to be suillciently firm t'o prevent collapse of the nipple in use.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a nipple of the large mouth type having ilrm shoulders to simulate and take the place of the areola of the breast, thus promoting a natural development of the muscular system of an infants face.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists in a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of the novel nipple;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section thereof, the mouth of a nursing bottle being disclosed and broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig 2 showing the position of the parts during feeding;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of a modified construction.

Large mouthed nipples have been used for infant feeding, as they more closely simulate the formation of the breast, and are easily kept san- Y itary. The standard type of construction utilizes a base section which is adapted to be placed over the rim of a bottle neck, an intermediate section. and a tip section having feeding openings therethrough. I have devised a construction in which the intermediate section is thickened at the upper portion thereof, whereby the action of sucking promotes a natural development of the muscular system of the face, the lower portion of the intermediate section being suillciently yieldable in response to pressure of the mouth to exactly simulate the resistance of the breast. Referring to the drawing, the nipple III has a wide mouth base section II, an intermediate section I2, and a tip section I3, the tip section being provided with the usual feeding passageways or openings I4. The tip section is of generally spherical shape, as indicated in Fig.

2, and joins the intermediate section in a uni- 5 formly outwardly flaring curve; the inner portion of the intermediate section at the upper end is substantially vertical as indicated at I5,

in order to provide a thickened portion I6 at the upper end of the intermediate section, but is 10 slightly tapered in order to permit insertion of a pencil or the like for readily turning the nipple inside out to be sterilized. The intermediate section thus has a thin wall I1 at its upper end, which .gradually widens to provide the thicker 15 portion I6, and then abruptly narrowsV to pro-V vide a lower portion- I8 of smaller thickness which is integral with the base II. The base II preferably has an outwardly extending tab I9 provided with a finger grip recess 20 for fa- 20 cilitating the mounting of the nipple on a bottle top and the removal therefrom, and an inner recess 2l for receiving the rim of the bottle,r the rece'ss being formed by an outwardly extending flange 22 at the join with the intermediate sec- 25 tion and a lower bead 23, the tab I9 thus being a lateral prolongation of the lower bead.

When the infants lips press on the tip section, and particularly at the junction of the tip and intermediate sections, the nipple assumes 30 the shape shown in Fig. 3, the eiect of the gradually increasing width of the intermediate wall being to exert a force against collapsing of the nipple, the entire nipple however being vsuiliciently yieldable so that excessive resistance to 35 the feeding movement does not occur. As a result, the new design of nipple accurately simulates the natural conditions of breast feeding and promotes a natural developing of the jaw.

Although I have disclosed a preferred con- 4 struction in which the section I6 is conical in cross section and is annular, it may be desirable for certain constructions to use spaced ribs having the same cross section as section I6 and positioned around the interior of the upper end of the intermediate section. Referring to Fig. 5, the intermediate sections I5a may be provided with a. plurality of spaced vertical ribs I9, each being generally conical, the width being selected to give a desired resistance Yto closing of the nipple tip during the feeding operation.

Other changes in size, form, and arrangement of parts maybe made to suit different requirements foiiinples, within the spirit and the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a nipple, a base of cylindrical'shape, a spherical tip having a fluid passageway. and an intermediate portion extending from said tip to said base, said intermediate portion having an outer surface flaring outwardly from said tip convexly and then eoncavely to said base, and having an inner surface extending downwardly substantially cylindrically to the concave portion of said outer surface, whereby an upper annular conical section is provided, and then concavely to' said base, whereby a lower relatively thin walled section is provided.

2. In a nipple, a base of cylindrical shape, a spherical tip having a fluid passageway, and an intermediate portion extending from said tip to said base, said intermediate portion having -an outer surface aring outwardly from said tip convexly and then concavely to` said base, and having an inner surface with vertical ribs which have inner vertical walls extending downwardly to theconcave portion of said outer surface, whereby spaced conical ribs are provided, the inner surface below the ribs then extending concavelyto said base, whereby a lower relatively thin walled section is provided.

3. In a nipple, a base of cylindrical shape, a

andavo Y.

spherical tip having a huid passageway, and an intermediate portion extending from said tip to said base, said intermediate portion having 'an outer surface daring outwardly from said tip convexly and then concavely to said'base, and having an inner surface extending downwardly substantially cylindrically to the concave portion of said outer surface, whereby an upper annular conicalsection is provided. and then concavely to said base, whereby a lower relatively thin walled section is provided, said base having a manually engageable tab extending laterally therefrom.

- 4. Ina nipple, a base of cylindrical shape, s.

spherical `tip mixing a nuid passageway, and an intermediate po on extending from said tip to said base, said intermediate portion having an outer surface flaring outwardly from said tip convexly and then concavely to said base, and having an inner surface with vertical ribs which have inner vertical walls extending' downwardly to the concave portion -of said outer surface, whereby spacedvconical ribs are'provided, the inner surface below the ribs then extending concavely to said base, whereby a lower relatively thin walled section is provided, said base havingl a manually engageable tab extending laterally therefrom. 

